Traveling harvester.



No. 769,995. PATENTED SEPT. 19, 1904. J. TRBTHEWEY.

TRAVELING HARVESTER.

APPLIUATION FILED MAB. 29, 1904.

No MODEL. 2 SHEETS-s119111 1.

Witnesses." A l A Lamento? l 25%.?@7

No. 769,965. y PATENTED SEPT. 13, 1904p J. TRETHEWEY.

I TRAVELING HARVESTER.

APPLIOATIGN FILED MAR. 29, 1904.

No MODEL. 2 SHEETS-SIRET 2.

lUNITED STATES Patented September 13, 1904.

PATENT OEETCE.

JAMES TRETHEVVEY, OF STOCKTON, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE HARRISMANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF STOCKTON, CALIFORNIA, A CORPORATION OFCALIFORNIA.

TRAVELING HARVESTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 769,965, datedSeptember 13, 1904.

Application tiled March 29, 1904.

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, JAMES TRETHEWEY, a citizen of the United States,residing at Stockton, in the county of' San Joaquin and State ofCalifornia, have invented new and usefulImprovements in TravelingHarvester-s, of which v the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in harvesting machinery of' thatclass which is designed to cut, thresh, and clean grain during thetravel of the machine over the field.

My invention consists in the combination of parts including agasolene-engine by which the cutting, threshing, and cleaning mechanismare driven while the machine is hauled over the ground by separate andindependent power, and in details of construction which will be morefully explained by reference to the accompanying drawings, in Which-Figure l is a side elevation. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the frame. Partsof same are broken away. Fig. 3 is a transverse section of my apparatus.

In the operation oi' machines of the class herein described it is commonto haul such machines over the field either by large teams of horses orby traction-engines, and the power to drive the sickle, the transportingbelt or draper, and the threshing and cleaning mechanism is generallyderived from the main bearing-wheels, which depend on their tractionmoving over the ground to provide such power. In some casessteam-engines have been mounted upon one side or upon the forward end ofthe harvester and so disposed as to do a portion of' the work; but ithas been necessary to mount the engine upon such portion of the machineas to make an objectionable Weight and strain upon the machine.

It is the object of' my invention to apply the power of a plurality ofinternal-combustion engines which are centrally located and with suchrelation to the main bearing-wheels as to assist in countcrbalancing theweight of Serial No. 200,534. (No model.)

the machine, and by means of supporting' gir-ders extending across themachine the engine is centrally located approximatelyabove thethreshingcylinder and in position to transmit its power to bestadvantage to all parts which are to be driven by the engine.

As shown in the accompanying drawings, A represents the mainlongitudinal sills of the harvester.

B represents the longitudinal wheel-frame timbers, which are carried bytransverse timbers C, extending across the machine in the usual mannerfor such frames.

2 represents the main bearing-wheels.

3 is a steering-wheel journaled so as to be turnable, and A is adraft-pole or equivalent attachment or connection to whatever power maybe applied to haul the machine. This power is only designed to haul themachine over the field, and I have not here shown any portion of thepower for driving the internal machinery as derived from thetractionwheels.

The superstructure of the machine consists of what is termed thefeed-house7 5, into which the cut straw and grain are delivered from theheader portion of the apparatus, and I from this feed-house the grain isdelivered by a suitable well-known mechanisn (not here shown) to thethreshing-cylinder, which is located at 6.

The portion of the superstructure containing the threshing-cylinder islower than the feed-house and lower than the rear portion 7 of thesuperstructure, within which latter portion are contained thecarrying-belts which transmit the threshed straw and grain from thecylinder, the cleaning-shoes upon which the grain and chaff aredeposited, and the straw-carrier by which the majority of the largerstraw is delivered out of' the rear of' the machine, together withbeaters and other adjuncts.

In order to drive the various internal mechanism of this apparatus, Iemploy an internalcombustion engine, which by reason of the nature ofits operation is not a source of danger by igniting the combustiblestraw and chaff by which it is surrounded. Such an engine I have shownat 8. In the present case I have shown a plurality of cylinders havingconnecting-rods 9 to the cranks 10 of the crankshaft 11. This engine ispreferably set over the lower part of the superstructure previouslydescribed in which the threshing-cylinder is contained, and is thuslocated very close to the main bearing-wheels 2, and being also locatedsubstantially central between these wheels transversely it is stronglysupported and the vibration of its operation will not be in juriouslytransmitted to the frame and other parts of the machine.

In order to properly support the engine, I have shown an iron bed-plate12 extending above the superstructure of the machine at the pointdesignated, and this plate is in turn supported upontransversely-disposed beams or girders 13, these latter in turn restingupon the longitudinal side timbers 14 of this portion of the machine.

The engine-shaft 11 is suitably journaled with relation to the bed-plate12, and by means of any suitable or well-known clutch mechanism, as at15, the engine-shaft may be connected with the shaft 11a, which is inline with the engine-shaft and through which power is transmitted to theother parts of the apparatus.

The gasolene-supply tank may be located upon the feed-house. Thewater-tank for circulating cooling-water may also be located, forinstance, in front of the said feed-house, and the battery for ignitionpurposes may be located at one side of the feed-house; but the locationof these parts is not important and would be a matter of convenience.

The exhaust-gases may be delivered di- -rectly upward from the engine bymeans of a discharge-pipe, as at 16.

The clutch 15 is operated by means of a lever, as at 17, and when theengine is connected power is transmitted to drive the sprocket orequivalent wheel 18.

19 represents balance-wheels upon the engine-shaft.

From the sprocket-wheel 18 power is transmitted by chain to thesprocket-wheel 2O upon a shaft 21. This shaft 21 extends across themachine to the opposite side and has iixed upon it at that side a pulley22, from which a belt passes to the pulley 23, fixed to the shaft of thethreshing-cylinder 6.

Thus power is transmitted to drive that portion of the machine whichrequires the greatest amount of power, the engine being located in closeproximity to the cylinder, and only so many transmissions are made aswill be necessary to give the requisite speed to the threshing-cylinder.

24 is another sprocket carried upon the shaft 21, and here shown as bythe side of sprocket 20. From this sprocket a chain, as 25, passes upover pulleys, as 26 27 28, and through these pulleys the carriers,beaters, and various internal portions not here fully described may bedriven. The header-frame 26 is hinged to the outer timbers upon theright wheel-frame of the thresher, as shown at 27 a.

Power is transmitted to drive the sickle and draper by chain from thesprocket-wheel 29, fixed upon a counter shaft 30, having asprocket-wheel 31 upon its opposite end and exterior to the wheel-frame.A, chain from this sprocket-wheel passes around the sprocket 32, theshaft of which is journaled upon the header-frame, and by means of abevel-gear, as at 33, power is transmitted through a shaft 34 to operatethe sickle-driving crank and the draper or carrier by which the grain isdelivered into the feed-house.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination in a traveling harvester having a superstructure witha depressed portion overlying the threshing-cylinder, threshing andcleaning mechanism, bearing and steering wheels, draft connections, aheaded portion hinged to the thresher, an internalcombustion enginesupported upon said depressed portion of the superstructuresubstantially midway between the sides of the machine, and sprockets,pulleys and connectingbelts whereby motion is transmitted from theengine to the cutting, threshing, and cleaning devices.

2. In a traveling thresher the combination with threshing and cleaningmechanism, the bearing-wheels, draft connection, a header portion, and asuperstructure inclosing the threshing and cleaning mechanisms saidsuperstructure having a depressed portion overlying thethreshing-cylinder, of transverse girders mounted upon said depressedportion of the superstructure, a bed-plate secured to said girders, anengine-frame secured to the bedplate centrally between the sides of themachine, sprockets and pulleys and belts whereby motion is transmittedfrom the engine to the cutting, threshing and cleaning devicesindependent of the propelling mechanism.

3. A traveling harvester having in combination a frame including asuperstructure with a depressed portion surmounting thethreshing-cylinder; a header; bearing and steering wheels; a draftattachment; threshing and cleaning mechanisms; supporting-girders on thedepressed portion of the superstructure above the threshing-cylinder; anengine bed- IOO plate mounted on the girders; an internal-com- Intestimony whereof I have hereunto set bustion engine secured to thebed-plate eenmy hand in presence of two subscribing wit- IO tralybetween the sides of th; rtxllaohine; a nesses.

transmission-shaft in ine wit t e engineshaft, and a clutch between saidshafts; and JAMES TRETHEWEY' sprockets, pulleysand connecting-belts byWitnesses:

which motion is transmitted to the threshing S. H. NOURSE,

and cleaning mechanisms and to the header. J EssIE C. BRODIE.

